Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Revenge Blu-ray Movie Review

Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Gory.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 11, 2018

The aptly-titled Revenge is the latest in a long and storied-within-fandom line of rape-revenge films in which a bloodied victim seeks out violent justice on those who perpetrated it and, in this movie's case, facilitated it and worked to cover up the act. What sets Revenge apart, though doesn't necessarily make it a novel experience, are a couple of critical factors. First, while the violence is played up to extremes, there's never a targeted body part or torture scene. Violence comes swiftly, crudely, in any way that it can, with mind paid to presenting it with as much blood and destroyed flesh as possible, stemming from usually sudden confrontation with the result being pouring blood and torn meat, not preplanned executions meant to prolong suffering. Second, the victim is a survivor whose instincts take over when she's left for dead. She has some knowledge of self preservation, the source of which the movie does not explore. That is not necessarily new, but what sets the character apart ties back to the first idea, that for her the process is not methodical but simply about survival and revenge in any way she can get it. She's not interested in making a point or prolonging her opponents' suffering, or her own. She wants her targets dead, and they want her dead: no fuss, but obviously plenty of mess in what is one of the bloodiest, most gruesome movies ever made.

Left for dead.

The free-spirited and flirtatious Jen (Matilda Lutz) is on a romantic getaway with her married boyfriend Richard (Kevin Janssens) who has taken her by helicopter to his remote mansion for a sex-filled rendezvous. Their isolated pleasure is disturbed when two of Richard's hunting buddies, Stan (Vincent Colombe) and Dimitri (Guillaume Bouchède), arrive ahead of schedule. Jen is not above entertaining the guests with a provocative dance, but her otherwise innocent shenanigans turn deadly serious when Stan, aroused by her sensuality, rapes her when she makes it clear she was merely teasing him rather than coming onto him. Dimitri refuses to participate but also refuses to step in. An infuriated Richard chooses the unthinkable, murdering Jen in cold blood rather than dealing with the consequences for Stan's actions in his home and with his mistress. But Jen, despite a seemingly fatal wound, recovers and seeks revenge for the wrongs done to her.

Revenge doesn't pull any punches, doesn't hold anything back. It's over-the-top grotesque, visually to be sure and the way the movie is shot and scored and edited, it makes for a grisly watch, too. The violent content is certainly the film's most immediately distinguishable characteristic. There are only five people in the movie, four of whom are integral to the plot and from whom blood will be spilled. Who knew so much blood could pump through four people? Director Coralie Fargeat soaks the screen with blood and unabashedly makes full use of every opportunity to support that blood with intensive gore in the form of chewed-up, ripped-apart flesh. Knife and gunshot wounds are the predominant causes of grisly gore, but there are also puncture wounds, an impaling, and burns in play, too. It's entirely relentless and the screen is literally soaked and dripping at a few points and slathered in blood through almost the entirety of the second and third acts. Violence has always been, and rightly is, a hallmark of the rape-revenge genre; Revenge absolutely and unequivocally pushes that violence as hard, if not harder, than any similar film to come before it.

But perhaps more than the visceral violence and copious amounts of gore, it's the structural unease with which the film plays that is its best asset, a relentlessly hard-edged tone that underscores the violence with operatic precision. The film's color temperature runs hot, with the tacky, sweaty, messy, dusty, dirty, bloody, and bruised characters growing ever more fatigued by environmental stress as much as physical and emotional exhaustion and pain. The film will destabilize the equilibrium of many in the audience, not through crazy camera moves but by the visually toxic fixtures and uneasy sonic tones that make it impossible to watch with a sense of clam or ease. It's a wonderfully complimentary full-circle experience, if one can stomach the emotional discomfort that plays throughout the movie. For as relentless as the film may be in terms of blood and guts, it's equally relentless in supporting that with disquieting sights and sounds beyond the obvious that make the movie all the more intolerable, in a good way.

If the film has a drawback beyond that it borders on too much and crosses the line on a couple of occasions, it's that the movie's core plot is essentially unchanged from any other, similar films on the market. Externalities push hard but at its core this film is simply a variation of an established theme and as mentioned above the movie's unique characteristics come more from raw violence than from methodical killings. The cast is game for the movie's difficult shoot. Each becomes substantially bloody at some point throughout, and the challenge of playing with a relentless edge, fear, and slathered in blood is one each of the four primaries devour. None of them have easy rolls, and nailing the physical challenges while emoting the emotional weight of the action is commendable given the movie's intensity and unforgiving depiction of violence and humanity at its worst.

Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While detail and sharpness in the opening scenes are quite strong, the lower light interiors do produce some significant noise which is largely, but not entirely, eliminated for the rest of the picture, which mostly takes place in either well-lit interiors or harsh, sun-drenched exteriors. Textural complexities are terrific. Skin textures and details, such as freckles, pores, and stubble, are remarkably revealing with sharp, intimate details to be found in practically every close-up. Gory wounds -- ripped open flesh, burn marks, and the like -- reveal every squishy, grotesque detail. The film's desert terrain is tack-sharp and tactile while clothes, guns, and all of the dust and debris that appear on them throughout never stumble. Colors excel. The movie's color temperature runs fairly hot. The palette is intense and sweltering, with a nice contrast in the rich and vibrant blue sky. Whether colorful clothes, furnishings in Richard's house, earthy terrain, and of course red blood, the palette revels in intensity. Skin tones appear accurate within the film's visual context and black levels are exceptional. Beyond some of the aforementioned noise, no major source or encode flaws are apparent. This is a great looking Blu-ray; a UHD would have been very interesting to compare against it.

Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Revenge opens with desert insects and an increasingly deep rush of a helicopter powering towards the screen, and the eventual flyby yields an impressive, weighty whoosh thorough the stage. Heavy electronic beats punish speakers, spirited and bass-intensive Dance notes pulse through the listening area with effective intensity and sharp clarity, and score is often hard-edged, sonically grating, and frightening in an intensive support structure. Various action effects compliment the film's most violent scenes with fearsome vigor. Engine revving rushing through the stage later in the film punctuates a key showdown. Gunshots are well pronounced (beyond the last in the film, oddly enough) and various gooey gore effects come across with reliable mushiness. Dialogue is consistently clear and center focused, well prioritized above any surrounding elements. Some dialogue is in French with forced subtitles.

Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Revenge includes only the film's Greenband (1080p, 1:54) and Redband (1080p, 1:59) trailers. No DVD or digital copies are included.

Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Revenge is quite the experience. The movie is alarming and upsetting, visually to be sure but constructed in a way to further discomfort the audience. It's as much a physical experience as a movie can be. It's incredibly well done, grossly over-the-top, and the film plays to that strength and offers a relentless and thoroughly violent take on a genre defined just by such qualities but that are here taken a step further than before. This a terrific movie but far from being for all tastes and audiences; for as many as the movie will thrill, it will turn off just as many, if not more, and relatively quickly at that. Universal's nearly featureless Blu-ray delivers movie-commanding video and audio that are perfect compliments to the gritty, grisly experience. Recommended, though only to audiences with an appetite for the sort of film described herein.